Should Have Stayed an Agent
by Wishing-for-a-Wand
Summary: The dead aren't the only ones who speak in autopsy. Ducky hears from two of his closest friends, each struggling with the similar issues of change and the ones who didn't stay.
1. She Should Have Stayed an Agent

Chapter One: She Should Have Stayed an Agent

Following Kill Ari Part 1 and 2

The telltale swoosh of the sliding glass doors was the only signal of an arrival in autopsy. Dr. Donald Mallard glanced over his shoulder at his entering guest; Gibbs was at his side before the doors closed. The ME smiled at his old friend, glad for his company, but confused by his presence. Their latest case had just been closed, the murderer caught and the victim's body shipped home to a proper internment.

So it was surprising for the team leader to venture down to autopsy so late and without obvious purpose.

"Jethro!" Ducky greeted him. "Everything squared away, I trust?" Ducky knew his friend well enough to know there was a reason for this visit, whether it was stated or not. However, if that reason had anything to do with a case that he had worked or would soon be working, Gibbs would quickly let it be known with his familiar, "What have you got for me, Duck?"

The silver haired man nodded once. "Case is done," he confirmed, moving away from the desk where the doctor sat and fiddling idly with the surgical instruments lining the autopsy table. He offered nothing more, as was typical of Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

Suspecting that the conversation was yet to begin, Ducky shuffled aside the paperwork on his desk. It appeared that this visit was not due to professional motivation. And that meant it was personal motivation that brought the silent man to his haven. And with Gibbs one never knew what _that_ meant.

If he had to gander about the oncoming subject matter, Ducky would wager it had to do with the familiar redhead now sitting behind the director's desk upstairs. While Gibbs was a highly private individual, Ducky was a friend he would and had confided in. And a good number of these infrequent heart to hearts had involved Jennifer Shepard.

Deciding to breach the subject himself, the medical examiner swiveled his chair to face his friend. "Thinking about our new director?" It was perhaps a tactless way to begin, but Jethro had never been the type who appreciated subtlety.

Gibbs' hand stilled momentarily and then swept along the table's edge as he paced the large room. He was quiet so long that one who didn't know him so well might have repeated the question. Ducky merely penned his signature to some important forms as he waited. Finally, Gibbs answered. "She should have stayed an agent."

The doctor's eyes lighted across the room to land on Gibbs. He shrugged easily. "Jennifer was always one for big dreams. This job is one she's worked hard for."

It was impossible to tell, of course, but he could almost swear he saw a hint of visible pain pass through Gibbs' eyes. "She was a good agent," he said at length.

"Trained by the best," Ducky smiled. "But I do believe she'll be a fine director as well. Heaven knows we need the best in that job."

The younger man made his way back to Ducky's desk, his hand now trailing the edge of the sink. He nodded once, acknowledging the truth of this statement, then shook his head with a soft snort. "I just can't see her staying behind a desk."

Ducky stacked the papers before him, slipping them into the appropriate files. Gibbs had a valid point. Over their years working together, Jenny had been a dynamic agent, never afraid to get her hands dirty if it meant getting the job done. Of course, her new political playing field would be far from clean.

"Just because it's a job you'd never set foot in, doesn't mean it takes any less skill." He looked pointedly at his colleague. "Or bravery."

Gibbs scratched distractedly at his hairline. He let out a lingering breath, audible in the still morgue. "She should have stayed an agent," he repeated with quiet finality.

"Blast it, Jethro!" Ducky said, rising and facing his friend. "Do you mean she should have stayed an agent, or that she should have stayed with you?"

The Marine remained motionless for long seconds. His gaze was directed past the doctor, seeing instead, the ME suspected, visions of European adventure and Parisian nights. "Yeah, well," Gibbs said, his blue eyes now boring holes into Ducky, "She didn't stay."

That was all he said before spinning away in one of his fast paced exits. Ducky sank into his chair and let out a sigh as the doors whooshed into place.


	2. He Should Have Stayed an Agent

Chapter Two: He Should Have Stayed an Agent

Following Hiatus Part 1 and 2

The whooshing doors alerted the aged medical examiner to the presence of another being in the room. He'd sent Mr. Palmer to Abby's lab laden with specimen jars and did not expect his return so soon.

Spinning to face his visitor, Ducky more than half expected to see Leroy Jethro Gibbs stalk silently through the door. In hindsight, the clacking heels should have given it away. As should have the fact that Gibbs was no longer employed by NCIS.

Agency director, Jenny Shepard, strutted through the doors and towards the table where Ducky was entering the final stitches in his most recent patient. The redhead slowed to a stop beside him, eyes roving over the body of the deceased.

"What a pleasant surprise!" Ducky greeted her. "Here to talk about the case, I presume."

Without looking at him, Jenny gave a curt nod. "Yes, while I'm here, I'd like an update."

The doctor gave his old colleague a puzzled look, but plowed ahead into a summary of his findings. "Poison," he said darkly. "Consistent with the chemical content of his stomach as well as the lack of external abrasion. Abby has the samples now and should be able to give us the details shortly."

She'd come a long way to be standing beside him, in more ways than one. Ducky could still recall the current director's first visit to autopsy when she'd emptied her stomach on his shoes. Now she stood without a hint of squeamishness. Jenny Shepard had seen her share of bodies in autopsy over the years. She had filled more than her share of tables.

But over a shorter span of time, it was still a long trip down from the director's office. "Following up on DiNozzo? Making sure he's settled into the job of team leader?" he queried. It would not be unusual for Jenny to check up on her agents, especially the team she followed most closely and had undergone the most recent change.

"No," Jenny answered, a small smile gracing him. "DiNozzo doesn't need me checking up on him. He's doing a fine job. And before you ask," she continued, reading his parted lips as an indication of further speech, "This case isn't particularly high priority, though I do hope you catch them."

Jenny paused. "Is it a crime to want to see an old friend?" she asked with false coyness.

Ducky managed a chuckle. "Absolutely not. I'll even forgive you that age remark." He peeled off bloody gloves and walked to the sink. "I suppose I'm the only other 'old' team member left in the building these days."

The absence of their mutual friend was weighing heavily on them both. Jenny's pent up frustration over the subject became obvious when she spoke. "He should have stayed an agent."

The doctor lifted his head at those words, the water running unnoticed. He could swear he'd heard words just like those only months earlier. With a small shake of his head, he began to scrub at his hands.

"He did just come out of a coma," he pointed out, vocalizing the litany he used to rationalize his friend's actions. "An explosion, a prolonged coma, followed by amnesia on top of that! The man does have a reason for retirement."

Jenny's emerald eyes caught fire as he watched. "Jethro didn't retire," she informed him. "He quit. And you know that."

He acknowledged the truth with a deep sigh. "He quit."

The redhead lingered by the autopsy table, but it was clear her mind was not on the current case. It was clear that her mind never had been. "And there is no excuse. He was a good agent."

"The best," his friend mustered weakly. "But a leave of absence would be imperative for any sort of lasting recovery," Ducky defended.

"Not for Gibbs." Jenny was adamant. "For anyone else, yes. But not for Gibbs. What he's looking for, he won't find in Mexico."

She was pacing now, her stylish heels beating in rhythmic staccato. "He could have taken a break, a vacation, God knows he needs one. But," she said with finality, "He should have stayed an agent."

Ducky found himself sighing again. "Is that what you mean, Jennifer? Should he have stayed an agent, or should he have stayed with you?"

It was a question he'd posed before, and he wondered how it would be received now. Jenny didn't meet his eyes, though she didn't lower hers. "It doesn't matter," she said softly. "I don't get either."

They exchanged one last sad smile before she exited the room with a whoosh of closing doors.

_Fin_


End file.
